Last Updated on June 18, 2014
Over the weekend, Hollow Water took down the two blockades they set up nearly two months ago.
The decision came last week, shortly after the government threatened to move the Rice River winter road, which is the only land link between Winnipeg and half a dozen Indigenous Communities on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.
Removing the blockades, however was not so much a giving-in as it was a show of good faith to the MB Government–who has consistently also promised to talk with Hollow Water as long as the blockades are first taken down.
As promised, two days after the blockades came down, MB Conservation Minister Stan Struthers met with Chief Ian Bushie in Winnipeg.
“We have some work to do between our government [and] their government to make sure that we build a relationship that we can move forward with. To that end, it was a good meeting,” Struthers said after the meeting. Bushie agreed it was “very encouraging.”
Struthers has since postponed the cottage lot draw, has promised full consultation and mediation, and stated he is willing to work on a revenue-sharing deal on the cottage lots.
There is nothing more planned as yet, but Struthers has said he’s willing to drive up to Hollow Water for another meeting.
Further Reading
More At Play Than a Few Manitoba Cottage Lots
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
